


No Need for Caffeine, Your Smile is Enough

by Donvex



Category: IT (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, just good pure sweet boys, there's a hint of ben in there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-14 00:57:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12996345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Donvex/pseuds/Donvex
Summary: Eddie likes where he lives. It’s convenient. The rent is only 400 a month, and it's close to campus. The only downside is that his apartment is right above a bustling coffee shop, and he doesn't evendrinkcoffee.He does, however, know all the employees by name. They sneak him pastries when he hides in the corner of their shop to study.But this time, when he looks for Ben’s face - because it’s a Tuesday, and Ben always works Tuesdays by himself - he instead finds the back of Ben’s head, his hands shoveling ice into a cup, and an entirely new face managing the register.





	No Need for Caffeine, Your Smile is Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to delicateloser on tumblr. ♡

Eddie likes where he lives. It’s convenient. The rent is only 400 a month, because he’s practically living in a closet. One small room with enough space for his twin mattress bed and a desk - a desk in which he only uses when he’s on his laptop, fooling around online and sending emails.

 

Otherwise, he practically lives at school. He’s always in the library, or the commuter lounge, studying and working and  _ thriving _ .

 

The only disappointing thing about where he lives is that it’s  _ above a coffee shop _ . One of the closest shops to campus, actually - which means that it’s constantly bustling, students always desperate for caffeine. The small tables are almost always filled, and even outside of rush hours there’s a line at the counter. It’s busy and, quite frankly,  _ annoying _ . More so considering he can’t actually work there despite the convenience of living right upstairs, because Eddie doesn’t even  _ drink  _ coffee. It’s just too much for him, he’s hyper enough as it is, and even though his workload is completely  _ draining _ , coffee just makes his body ache while his mind overworks itself.

 

That being said, he still knows all of the employees at the shop. The stairs that lead down from his apartment’s front door connect to the small hallway that leads into the store, and often enough he finds himself looking in through the large glass windows and deciding to sit down to study there if there’s a corner unoccupied. Sometimes, when the lines fizzle out and Eddie slips into one of the available booths, Richie or Ben will join him and pass him a pastry wrapped in a napkin, as if it was this dirty black market exchange. They’ll chat with him for a few minutes before returning to their spot at the front counter, but if the shop is  _ really _ dead, Eddie will still talk to them from his own table.

 

On the busier days, when he’s hiding out in the shop instead of the library but doesn’t feel read to keep working (because one can really only work for so long before completely dropping) he takes to examining the room.

 

His eyes always go to the counter first. Who’s working,  how many people are in line, how empty the food display is looking. It’s never really a good indication of how good a day it is for the business, since rush hour looks bad no matter what and everything is cleaned and restocked during the lulls, but it  _ feels _ like it gives a lot of information. After that, Eddie takes to examining the people of the room. How many students are there, how many actually adults with brief cases and jobs (though there are hardly ever any, considering students will fight for a table and free wifi), how many people are actually drinking their coffee versus how many let it sit and only use it as a distraction. And at some people, the people seem to fade out completely, and Eddie lets himself calm down while he examines the warm interior of the space.

 

The walls are a warm shade of red wood, naturally stained so that each plank is unique. The floor is darker, a brown closer to a chocolaty black in nature. The tables are made out of a similarly dark brown wood, and the chairs range from simple and functional to decoratively covered in red and gold cushions. Along the back row is a series of booths, and that’s Eddie’s favorite place to stake out.

 

Which is where he currently finds himself, sliding into the side of the booth closest to the far wall, stacking his books up against one another. It’s late, close to closing time, but Ben always lets him stay there while they clean up. It’s not like he orders anything, or makes a fuss, or even gets in the way of cleaning. Hell, there’s been a few times where he’s  _ helped _ clean, just because the conversation was good and he knew his friends would benefit.

 

But this time, when he looks for Ben’s face - because it’s a Tuesday, and Ben always works Tuesdays by himself - he instead finds the back of Ben's head, his hands shoveling ice into a cup, and an entirely  _ new _ face managing the register.

 

There’s only two people in line - one already having order, obviously waiting for their drink, and the other in the process of placing an order. Eddie gives it a few minutes, waits until the first drink is completed and the second started, before he dips out of his seat and approaches the counter.

 

“Ben!” He’s waving, even though Ben isn’t facing him, but he knows it’s too late to shove his hand back in his pocket until he’s fully followed through with the motion. “Looks like it’s a little more crowded back there today, huh?”

 

The other boy behind the counter looks stunned for a second at being addressed, eyes slightly wider and lips forming a small  _ o  _ shape, but Eddie just gives him a smile and waits for him to introduce himself.

 

He doesn’t speak, though. Instead, his fingers fidget at his sides, and he looks at Ben expectantly until Ben finally finishes the second drink, hands it off to the waiting customer, and turns to grin at Eddie.

 

“Hey, Eddie. I thought I saw you hiding away in that back corner. This is Bill, the new hire!” Ben sounds so enthusiastic and hopefully, like he’s expecting Bill to do Great Things working in their coffee shop. Eddie holds out his hand to the new kid, ignoring the voice in the back of his head that’s spouting off numbers and statistics about how many germs are found in a workplace.

 

“Eddie Kaspbrak. Nice to met you.” He knows Ben has already said his name, but it seems polite to introduce himself again. He’s pleased when Bill shakes his hand and does the same.

 

“Bill. Denbrough.” It’s short, but said sweetly, and Bill has this tiny smile on his face that lights up Eddie’s world. 

 

“Do you like it here, Bill?”

 

Bill nods, and Eddie looks at him encouragingly, waiting for more. “It’s nice. B-b-but I don’t think I s-should be manning the regis-ster.”

 

Eddie wants to frown in frustration at that, because he already  _ completely _ understands the sentiment. But he also knows the best way to fight it is to ignore it, because half of the assumptions about himself and how capable he is are wrong.

 

And when he looks Bill in the eyes - a gorgeous shade of light green, Eddie notes - he knows that they’re wrong about Bill, too. He seems so capable and so bright and so  _ genuine _ .

 

“I think you’re exactly where you belong, Mr. Denbrough. Every student dragging themselves through our door could use someone bright in their life to cheer them up.” Eddie doesn’t really know what he’s doing, anymore. Being corny is not his regular. Then again, nothing about Bill really seems regular.

 

Especially not the stunning smile that Bill gives back to him, god. There’s no way  _ that _ is regular. “I thought Ben was the p-poet.” His laughter is light and warm, and Eddie feels captivated. 

 

Ben calls from the back door, then, asking Bill if he’s reading to learn the closing process. Bill’s smile turns sheepish as he calls back an affirmative, but he’s eyes still shimmer as he turns to Eddie again. “Did you want a drink b-before we shut everything down? You didn’t order anything.”

 

Eddie shakes his head no. “Nah, I don’t drink anything with caffeine. It… doesn’t mesh well with my anxiety. Or my overactive imagination.” Bill laughs, and Eddie didn’t think it was possible for a human to radiate sunshine, but now he knows - and he would swear there are stars in his own eyes. “I do, however, have hot chocolate and milk upstairs. If you wanted to come up after you close?” It’s hopeful, and tentative, and Eddie almost can’t believe how brave he feels right now. He knows nothing about Bill other than his name, that he’s the personification of happiness, and that he’s right here in front of Eddie - and he’s not going to pass up on this opportunity.

 

“I w-would love to. Give me a few minutes?”

 

Eddie nods before returning to his favorite booth, wearing a goofy smile as he stares down at his shoes.

 

He doesn’t know that his favorite booth will soon turn to  _ their  _ favorite booth.

 

He doesn’t know that Bill will end up moving in with him upstairs despite how cramped it is, for “the sake of being close to work.”

 

He doesn’t know that after that, when they’ve both made it through their college years, they’ll both move into a new apartment together in a shiny city where Bill can write and Eddie can continue his nursing education.

 

He doesn’t know that the rest of his life is going to be warmer and brighter, even on the bad days, because they’ll make it through.

 

What he does know is that he’s excited in a way he hasn’t been for a long time, and that’s enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me at donvex.tumblr.com or leave a tip at ko-fi.com/monstrumian !


End file.
